The New York Giants already have a quarterback controversy brewing after a disappointing Week 1 outing from Russell Wilson and the starting offense.
Giants’ Darius Slayton wants the team to stick with Russell Wilson
Some Giants fans are calling for Dart to replace Wilson sooner, rather than later (even though head coach Brian Daboll already confirmed that the veteran would start in Week 2).
Veteran wide receiver Darius Slayton, however, is in no rush to see Wilson dethroned.
“I think that’s the natural thing these days in the sport of football, which is unfortunate …. Everybody wants new as soon as they think that things aren’t going well,” Slayton told the media (h/t Ryan Dunleavy of The New York Post).
“But the reality is that things take time and not everything is just a 9-1-1 situation. We have good coaches. We have a good quarterback in Russell Wilson and it’s one week.
“If you kind of look at the history of football, it hasn’t always served people well to just throw people in the fire, because I know that I wouldn’t want to be thrown in the fire like that.”
If any Giants playmaker has the right to be frustrated with the way the team played on Sunday, it’s Slayton. He received just one target in Week 1, which he did not catch, as he was held by the facemask on a clear and obvious penalty that the officials failed to identify.
Even still, Slayton is not hitting the panic button, and is sticking by Wilson (while offering praise and confidence for Dart at the same time).
“Obviously, Jaxson believes in himself. He obviously believes he’s a good football player. We believe he’s a good football player, but at the same time, this league is hard, this league is tough, and you see players get chewed up and spit out all the time by this league, which is something I would never want to happen to him.
“So, as all that goes … Russ is our starter for however long, and he’s playing and he’s going to play good ball. We’re going to play good ball as an offense, and whenever Jaxson’s time comes, it comes.”
Throwing young/rookie quarterbacks “into the fire” has been a controversial trend in recent seasons. Quarterbacks like Bryce Young, Caleb Williams, among others, have been thrown into the fire and faced serious trials and tribulations that were arguably detrimental to their confidence and development.
But on the other hand, some young quarterbacks, such as Jayden Daniels, C.J. Stroud, and Bo Nix, were inserted immediately into the lineup and emphatically proved they belong.
Time will tell whether or not Dart can sink or swim as a starter. The Giants would like to be patient and wait for Wilson to turn things around, but if losses pile up, the pressure will intensify.
Dart seemed like he was regular-season Sundays ready during the preseason; but exhibition games are far different from the real deal.
If the Giants are going to give Dart the starting job, they will need to be confident that he is ready to lead them to wins.
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